An American Voice- Chapter 1 - The Snake of Incompetence

 By CE Marshall 

    Chapter 1:   The Snake of Incompetence – Off with its Head

                            Defining the Snake 

                        Liberté, égalité, fraternité - 'liberty, equality, fraternity'

     As I consider the frustrations regarding our government today, the daunting obstacles to restoring American Democracy keep surfacing in my mind and I'm sure in the minds of any thoughtful reader as well.  These obstacles are like four major parts of a snake, each of them functioning together, dependent on one another as they slither their way around Democracy constricting and rendering the ordinary citizen powerless.   The four parts are ;   The Lobbyists (and the moneyed interests behind them),  The Elections (and the moneyed interests behind them), The political parties (and the moneyed interests behind them),  and The media (and the moneyed interests behind them).   As you can see, at the root of all of these snake parts there is one very common denominator,  the money.   Money supports the head of the snake- what I call "Mad King George"- The mind and power behind the snake of incompetence that has been robbing us of our Democracy for over 100 years.  The head of these four parts must be removed.   Let's make Mad King George the King Louis of France in the 21st Century.  

THE SNAKE PARTS

       The lobbyists.  Our government is in the palm of all those interests with enough money to gain influence.  Usually this involves lobbyists that essentially hold our leaders "hostage" so that no Congressional leaders should expect financial support if things don't go the way of these moneyed interests in society.  The more notable lobbying organizations are Pharmaceuticals, Medical,  the insurance industry,  the oil industry, dairy industry,  packaged food industry, etc..... (even- alarmingly- foreign interests are getting in on the feast).  Have you noticed substantial good being done by our government to help the American Citizen regarding any of these groups?  No, of course not.  The lobbyists are not there to help the American people,  they are there to help themselves.  So then, how can our leaders claim to be representing the American people when the truth is so contrary and so obvious to all ? 

      The Elections.  In the 2012 national elections the following amount of money was spent by our so called leaders ;  The presidency;  $2,000,000,000.  House of Representatives; winner spent on average $1,400,000 and the average winning Senator spent $9,800,000!  More currently- Between January 2023 and April 2024, US political campaigns collected around $8.6 billion for the 2024 House, Senate, and presidential elections.   I will refrain from “filling pages” for this book with more and more statistics.    I think the picture is clear;  Elections in the United States have become a profit center benefiting those within the confines of Washington, DC but certainly NOT those outside of DC.  The debate and process has become the center of attention for all involved making the service to “We the People” a quaint old fashioned idea- an afterthought.  In addition, there is no hope of an ordinary American with leadership skills and high moral standards to even make it into an election.   How can any ordinary American hope to ever run for a position of leadership when the cost for such an endeavor requires a "King's Ransom" for this ascension?  They can't.  That's why half of all Congress is occupied by millionaires.  If they're not millionaires, it's actually worse because these individuals are most assuredly in debt to a lot of people.  This will require a lot of favors and consequently a lot of "maneuvering" in our Capitol.  This activity will occupy much time and effort that would otherwise, rightfully be devoted to the good of the American citizens they represent. 

        The political parties;   The Democrats and Republicans.   These consummate enemies  have had all the power for far too long.  Not only do they have too much power, but they've turned the governing of the United States of America into a perpetual "Football Game".  All touchdowns and/or penalties are for the benefit of each team and the only group that always loses is the American citizen sitting in the stadium, frustrated at their lack of influence on the players below.   The power of the parties will continue as long as they stick to hating the opponent and swearing they will do all in their power to bring them down, no matter the consequences to the people themselves.  They've suckered us all into believing that the art of governing must be in perpetual dispute, a tug of war over ideology, a necessary evil.  In actuality, it is the job of our leaders to lead not argue.  Disagreements should be the exception, not the rule.  There are far too many American citizens who are hurt because this simple act of leadership is missing today.   I doubt it is their conscious intention (as a blithering herd, neither group really thinks or contrives anything other than stampedes to the latest inane frame of thought),   but the political parties have neutered the power of the American people by dividing us.   Removing money from the process would put anyone with a better idea of governing on an even keel with the political parties rendering them much less capable of calling the shots regarding how our government works. It would promote individuals with superior ideas to the position of power simply from their success as leaders with good ideas and good intentions.  No more infuriating need to “satisfy their base”, ie, the ideas that drive the other side of the aisle to alarm, panic, and obstruction. 

       The media, also known as "the enablers".   They criticize and provoke and instigate, and then sit back and watch the fun.  I'm sure they all enjoy the conflict with a bag of popcorn clutched in their claws, the same way human beings watch movies.  The media power brokers would most assuredly recoil at the idea of removing money from the election process.  Not only do they stand to lose a lot of revenue from political campaigns, but they also lose the pure joy of stirring the pot every 2-4 years and all the attention and “eyeballs” that this attention musters.   The reality is though, that over the last 10 years the public has lost most of their trust in the media and they could actually end up in a much better position if they listen to reason and consider jumping to the side of the people.  Some of the ideas in this book could actually be a benefit to the media because they would be the window through which we all watch a new process of election.  They could also, perhaps, learn what it is like to remark on productive and intelligent conversations, not the ludicrous circus they’ve been muttering about for so many decades. 

     

      In conclusion, we can sever the head of this "snake of incompetence" by withholding its source of power.   Remove Mad King George's head.  Remove the money.   If money is removed from the process of electing leaders then a lot of problems would naturally disappear.  In this book, I want to offer up the problems and then offer up solutions quickly so that every man, woman and young adult can quickly read my ponderings and be empowered to react with passion and urgency.  Consequently, that is what each chapter endeavors to do- remove the money from the process of governing our nation.  Government is not there to help a specific group to profit so nobody profits if money is out of the picture.   The government is there to help ALL the people profit, and to not yield to one tyrannical group over another.  That is the problem.  Remember- the individual American is the champion of the government—the individual citizen is the ruler of the government- not the pharmaceuticals, the military establishment, the corporations ‘nor the media.  Their heads must be severed from it's involvement in governing.   

Marshall in the Middle - Regarding this Blog

 By CE Marshall 

*Chuck Marshall's Humble Opinion regarding... his own blog.   

                                                      Chief Justice John Marshall 

Dear readers--- 

     Some of you may have been following me going back a while, when I titled my blog "Chuck Marshall's Humble Opinion", so you know what the above tagline is referencing.  Anyway, this blog has always been a bit of a frustration to me, in that I'm never totally sure what direction I want to go- so I changed the name - twice- and then thought of having two blogs to address two different forms of writing- one more serious and one more humorous.  These days, as many of you may know I've been posting my book "An American Voice" per section- about two pages per post- so I can only imagine anyone trying to get clarity from CE Marshall-- it's clearly not happening.   So, as it were upon me to provide clarity- when I am posting my blogs  I will try to title it to offer direction to the topic at hand by stating "Chuck Marshall's Humble Opinion On......." giving an idea of what the topic of the day is.   I have very little patience for ramblings and tangents but I am one of the worst offenders, of course.   I'm hoping to stick with this theme;  Marshall in the Middle as the title of my blog- that does not mean I'm totally in the middle politically, it means I am open to other ideas.  I like both sides and I like to hear debates- real debates - not the clown shows you see on the networks and Cable television.   It also represents my economic background as being of a  middle class background , and my heritage which is a mix of nearly every single European country- from Spain to England to France to Russia, etc....  and 18% American Indian making me officially Heinz 57 - a little bit of a lot of different- which I think makes me more "middle American".  But of course, that's entirely debatable.    I like to think I have my pulse on the mood and debates of the nation and I hope this blog offers a fresh perspective that works to see both sides of political philosophies.  Finally, I have an ancestor considered one of the founding fathers, John Marshall which I think adds some weight to my words and thoughts as I strive to open conversation and communication between differing ideas within our country just as John Marshall did as Supreme Court justice in the early 19th century.   At that point in history, The United States was struggling to become a united country,  much like today.    You see, differences between people are guaranteed- but that doesn't mean they have to result in hate or mistrust.  We can learn from each other and grow because of the debate and dialogue.  

Sincerely,  

CE Marshall 

*Because everyone's entitled to my own opinion. 

An American Voice- Introduction Part 2

 Ideas for a struggling Republic

By CE Marshall 

     A quick comment here in the middle of my introduction- I've decided the first blog of this book, that is,  the introduction was too long- so I've cut and pasted it in half.  This below is the second half.  It is my estimation that most blog readers really aren't interested in reading more than 2 pages- about the length of a typical Opinion piece in the newspaper (if anyone remember what those are).  If you read this and remember reading it before,  it's because you have.  I'm trying to work with the audience here and not drag things out any more than they need to be.  Perish the thought I am boring my readers !   Also, I may insert other blogs between the chapters of this book- so be warned about that !  Finally, I do plan on self-publishing "An American Voice" in case anyone is so enchanted by it that they have to have a hard copy- or at least a paperback copy from Amazon.  You never know.  

                               Photo of Abraham Lincoln at the Gettysburg address 

Introduction - Part 2 

     As an Independent minded citizen who has contempt for both major parties I see myself as a “Free Thinker”.  Admittedly I am a registered Republican because the state of Florida requires I choose a party for my voice to be heard.  That is one big reason I am in favor of establishing a “top two” system of elections- which I’ll explain in the Elections chapter.   My heart is with moderate, intelligent, passionate Americans who want to see a government for all the people, not just one side or the other.  It is outrageous how much has been lost to the parties, and they are the snakes of incompetence that slither and choke the decency out of the American public.  Both left and right leaning thought have ideas worth discussing but neither has the corner on common sense.   The idea of compromise is so important to get anything done because you’ll always have opposing views.  The intelligence and wisdom of middle thinkers is what’s missing today.  They have no voice.  I hope this book can begin to give it to them.   We can no longer trust the parties to run our government effectively.  They cannot serve the people when they consistently fail to get past disagreements and refuse to compromise or think logically.   So, through this book I endeavor to offer solutions and ideas to move things forward.   We owe it to our ancestors that have fought and struggled to bring the power to the people.  We cannot let their memory be dirtied by enabling this rich, powerful and an incompetent government of buffoons.   Too much has been sacrificed, too much blood has been spilled to let this great experiment in Democracy go to extinction.   We owe it also to our children and our posterity.  We owe them a wise, sage, efficient, effective government that enables all people and boosts the morale and inventive nature of all mankind to rise to the level that the Almighty had intended in the first place. 

 A CIVIL WAR

     In a sense we are engaged in a civil war today, in 21^st century America with the left vs right, liberal vs conservative, Democrat VS Republican.  Lincoln’s famous speech beseeches us to gird ourselves for a fight to maintain the American voice as the one sovereign voice of America.  To fight like the men did on that battlefield fought.  To fight to the death if need be. 

      “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  Abraham Lincoln , The Gettysburg Address 1863

       Lincoln is referring to each individual human who is capable of beauty and eloquence and creativity such that the world should applaud all 7 billion of us.   We cannot let the deaths of nearly a million American war dead in our history and as many maimed and crippled- to have been in vain.  They weren’t fighting for Kings or Queens or an autocratic government, they were fighting for you and me- right here right now.   They were fighting for an idea that every human being has merit and something to offer the world. 

     I am going to do my best to keep this book simple and straight to the point while hopefully also being eloquent and powerful.  I have read historic accounts of government and find them to be a crushing bore.  There is one big exception; “Common Sense”,  by Thomas Paine.   I hope to mimic his style and passion and get this book in the hands of as many people as I can.   Thomas Paine was arguing against the King and the monarchy while I’ll be arguing the case against the way things are done today and those that have the real power in modern society who are vested in keeping things incompetent because that incompetence is very much to their benefit (and more often than not,  the size of their bank account).   There is power in numbers but I must lay down my case to establish a system to take down the illegal and treasonous congressmen and senators haunting our capitol.  They are bought and paid for fools and their removal with intelligent and competent citizens is essential for this to succeed. 

     I won’t present these problems without solutions.  The last thing we all need is another book that understands we’re all drowning but gets stuck describing the water.  The problems are many;  national debt, crushing poverty,  infrastructure concerns, unorganized immigration, corporate greed, climate change, biased media.  The list could easily go on.  I’d like this book to focus on what would be the most help to all Americans and even all the world;  An American government of competent citizens that are concerned for their constituents above all else- all their constituents—Democrats, Republicans and Independents.   

     Through a commonality of concern for all of us, our concerns as humans, I hope we can look at problems objectively and with urgency.   We can come together and establish reasonable strategies for fixing the problems at hand through an intelligent government matched with private enterprise.   I believe there’s nothing that we can’t solve.   In addition, although I’m very suspicious of powerful government, I do feel a wise government need not be such an impossible concept.  On the contrary I think the government can do a great deal of good if it’s set up with certain constraints and is run by leaders not politicians and bureaucrats. 

An American Voice - Introduction - Part 1

Ideas for a struggling Republic 

By CE Marshall 

     Dear Loyal Readers-  I have a confession to make- I have a book written and have not shared it with all of you.   Not that I should be so flattered to think you were waiting with anticipation of anything I write- however still it might be of some interest to anyone that is so inclined to return to my writings and jottings on a regular basis.  I wrote it here and there from 2017 to 2022.   I'm not sure exactly what I've been waiting on-- a publisher or the time to review it, perhaps to re-write it and shine it up for the real world.  I've decided I'm not really interested in doing the work to try and get published so I might as well release it to my only regular audience- the unknown audience of Marshall in the Middle.  I do have a desire to make a difference in the lives of ordinary people with an idea or two that might be of help to our struggling Republic.  Even if only a few hundred people read it, at least it is out there in the common mind of humanity- in one capacity or another.   So, here it is- the Introduction to the book-  I will publish each chapter over the next few weeks.  It's not long at all- 6 Chapters- around 35 to 40 pages.   I wrote it thinking of Common Sense, by Thomas Paine in 1776 with the idea that a little pamphlet changed the world once, maybe it can happen again. 

C.E. Marshall 

 An American Voice

To the Establishment of Wise Government in North America

By C.E.Marshall

Introduction

  

                                                    Thomas Paine and Common Sense 

“Perhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages are not sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favor; a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong,  gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in deference of custom.  But tumult soon subsides.  Time makes more converts than reason”.   Thomas Paine from “Common Sense” 1776

                                                     

       These are the words at the very beginning of Thomas Paine’s masterpiece, “Common Sense”, the most significant piece of literature in regards to the catalysts behind the American Revolution.   Paine argued very effectively for a clear and definite separation from the United Kingdom and a Declaration of Independence.  Is it time for a second American Revolution ?  A revolution against the “powers that be” in our government and society;  our largest corporations, powerful lobbyists,  courts that legislate,  special interests, and a bloated and ineffective government that squanders our money for the sake of reelecting themselves.  We are all being robbed. Every single American citizen- rich, poor, religious, atheist, black, white,  latino,  left and right by treasonous leaders with suspicious allegiance to whoever helped them get where they are and a media with a vested interest in a never-ending battle between the parties. It’s an equality of theft !  Everyone is being mugged.  All these powers will continue to steal our liberty because the American people are not exercising their muscles of citizenship.  Remember it is “We the people”  here in America according to the very first words of our constitution.  It isn’t “we the corporations”, or “we the lobbyists”, or “we the government that knows better” or “we the media”.   These groups are slowly but surely replacing people as the sovereign of our nation.   In fact it would be easy to argue that this has already happened, but I hope and pray that’s not true.  It is time, my fellow Americans to remove this nemesis (THESE NEMESES?)  with Common Sense solutions.

 A WARNING !      

      It isn’t just new ideas that scare your ordinary person.  The problem with any new idea and way of looking at things is that the “powers that be” would be adamantly opposed to most solutions because most solutions would take away some of their “power” and they run the risk of no longer being a “power that is” but being a “power that once was”.   We as a people must be ready to stand up to the normal way of thinking and be prepared to understand and assume we will be opposed, no matter how wonderful the idea might be to us.  Imagine the British parliament and King George being excited that the American colonies were looking at independence.  Imagine the Pope being inspired that Martin Luther posted a list of protests on that church door in Germany back in the 1600’s and declared the Roman Catholic Church a fraud.  Imagine the wealthiest slave owners of the American south feeling open and agreeable to freeing their slaves so that the African people could be free humans – never mind that their wealth would quickly vanish along with said slaves.  These proposals will be adamantly opposed by most of the “powers that be”- the media, the political parties, the federal government industrial complex, the defense industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the chemical industry and the energy industry.  The governments of 99% of the world’s population.  They will be opposed to these ideas the moment it comes out of your mouth, if not before you even finish your thoughts.  They will leap up to grab the words off your tongue and smash those thoughts upon the ground and stomp them into a bloody heap.  Be prepared for that.  

      I am a regular middle class American.  I have no formal education regarding government, other than the usual requirements of the modern Bachelor’s Degree.   I have a degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida and I work in the horticulture industry as a sales manager.   I work very hard and I want the best for my family, my community, and my country.   The differences between the reader and myself might be that I love to write, I have a passion for history and any kind of waste tends to send me over the edge.   These three things have mixed together in me creating a stew of frustration and anger as well as hope and optimism that has bubbled up to induce the book you hold in your hands (or read on your tablet). 

     The idea behind this book is two-fold.   First, we must expose the most pressing issues of the American government and define what the problems are.  Second, we need to imagine what could be accomplished with a government freed of its bloated tendencies and poised in the direction of enhancing the lives of all citizens not just for the rich, the poor or the moneyed special interests.   

       The federal government supports the poor through programs such as medicaid, welfare, food stamps, government housing and a various agencies designed to assist them in their poverty.  While I applaud the intentions to help those in need their “track record” is hardly impressive.  After decades of redistributing wealth to those in need, there is still poverty, drug addiction, violence and an absolute loss of hope by the citizens of American ghettos.  To say the spending of hundreds of billions of dollars over the last century has been at all helpful would be a farce, but I have no doubt those politicians that instigated the whole idea made off with a hefty share of the redistributed wealth.  Indeed, both parties have been especially adept at spending our money.   Much of it ends up on their estates back home or in their townhouses and the taverns of Georgetown, Washington DC.  The federal government also swings open the door of influence to the large corporations and their lobbyists who slither throughout Washington coiling around any and all legislation such that it benefits them the most.  We let them get away with it.  The media lets them get away with it (and probably benefits from it as well).  What of the backbone of the nation, the middle class-  the tradesman, the artisan, or small business ?  How is the government breathing health and stability in the vertebrae of America ?  The answer is that they don’t, and all their efforts are a never-ending battle between the two parties jockeying for power within the government –each with its opposite view of the role of government.  The middle is usually forgotten the minute elections are over.   Yes, they pay lip service to us but usually they simply tell us what they think we want to hear.  It’s all about “what the American people want”, but in reality it’s all about what they want and what their party wants.  The real needs of the everyday citizen are an afterthought. 

     The noblest of people are those that work to feed their family while working in their chosen field of interest.  The passions of the common man are the fountain of all human progress.  This can be seen in all significant human accomplishments.  It is not the efforts and accomplishments of large organizations but those of the person.   It is not the directives from large government or bureaucracies but the inventiveness and creativity of the people in the trenches with the true understanding of the obstacles to be overcome. 

     

                                                   

     

The Truth Sits in the Middle and Knows

 By CE Marshall

We dance round in a ring and suppose,

But the Secret sits in the middle and knows.

                                                    Robert Frost 

     I've always liked this small poem (it's called a couplet, I just learned) by Robert Frost, but to me it sounds better if you say "truth" instead of "secret".   The truth has always sat with moderate Americans- The Silent Majority- they used to be called. I believe we've lost something important in our society in that the middle, or the politically moderate no longer have much power and the extremes of both parties hold sway of the population.  But the middle, or an open- minded look at any political topic warrants the most truth and benefit to all of us.  We no longer have open debate !  All conversation is biased towards one side or another.  With the internet this difference has been aggravated by the echo chamber of X (previously known as Twitter) and other social media platforms where you can choose who you listen to and the differences become more and more pronounced.  Opposing ideas are non-existent.  The "other" side is evil, devious, and not to be trusted or considered.   The truth is silenced. 

     I was once told by a close friend that I'm not at all in the middle and the title of this blog is not accurate to my true opinions- it's a misnomer.  He says I'm to the extreme right.   I disagree, I am very much in the middle of people who are willing to listen to other opinions.  The left has gone so far left that their main talking points are not even legitimate points to me.  Their conversation and debates are hysterical and shrill.  They simply won't listen to other opinions.  It doesn't help that the media and whoever is running our government are fully in favor of their extremist ideas because it behooves them- the reasons are the subject of another blog.   The Deep State, or "Mad King George" as I like to call them,  are making a lot of money and maintain all their power through the mouth breathing thoughts of the "rank and file" Democrats.  These days are a special consideration regarding moderate politics,  in that the Democrats themselves have become the problem itself.  They are not a political party- they are the government itself.  I AM in the political middle of ideas regarding how our government and society should be run based on liberty, truth and justice not based on feelings, victimhood and virtue signalling.  I am open to the idea of government participation in our lives with reasonable restrictions- but not at the sacrifice of the blubbery, obscene bureaucracy that we have and pay for today.  I stand for a truth that looks and hears both sides of debates. 

     I can remember a time when people had reasonable debates and the media did not dictate their opinion to the public.  It was hard to detect any "side" from the media (The big three networks- ABC, NBC, CBS) were reasonable in their coverage and fair with opinions and debates.  The newspaper industry was not owned by a handful of liberally biased conglomerates the way it is today.  They at least appeared neutral.  Once the cable news industry started up in the 1980's,  the news became a 24 hour "thing".  You can't fill 24 hours with news everyone has heard over and over-- so, the media itself becomes the news.  And it's not profitable news if you're not angry and shrill, and hysterical and full of venom.  Honestly,  the state of the media is truly evil today.  There is no middle ground, there are only hysterical comments, name calling, finger pointing, fear mongering.  They stir the pot and profit from our fears and bias.  Common ground is neither covered 'nor discussed.  The truth is no longer the endeavor of the media- it's money and power that motivates them.  

   So, I crave the truth and I am determined it comes back into fashion.  

We dance round in a ring and suppose,

But the Truth sits in the middle and knows.

In My Humble Opinion.... 

Chuck Marshall